Nora Roberts

"Proud to write for Mills & Boon"

Nora's top writing themes

The body

15

Physical intimacy

15

Emotional expression

15

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About Nora

I was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, with my parents and four older brothers. After doing time in Catholic school with the discipline of nuns, I married young and settled in Keedysville, Maryland.

I briefly worked as a legal secretary, but I was terrible at it. I could type fast but my spelling wasn't great, so after my sons were born I stayed home and tried every craft that came along. And then a blizzard in February of 1979 forced my hand to try another creative outlet – I was snowed in with my boys (who were three and six at the time) with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. I pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of the stories that it seems was always lingering somewhere in the back of my mind. That was the moment my career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, my first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981.

I met my second husband, Bruce Wilder, when I hired him to build my bookshelves. We were married in July 1985 and have since gone on to expand our home, travel the world and open a bookstore together.

Having spent my life surrounded by men, it’s fair to say I hold a good view of the workings of the male mind, which it something I often delve into in my books. Honestly, it was a choice between figuring men out, or running away screaming.

I'm a member of several writers groups and am proud to have won awards from my colleagues and the publishing industry.